Voting Is Spiritual

Ferrysburg Community Church is a church of all kinds of people.  It’s something I love and value about our church family.  But it does present some challenges as well.  Take voting and politics, for example.  I’m told there was a day when church people earnestly sought their pastor’s wisdom as they considered how to vote.  Today a lot of people evaluate their pastor based on his or her perceived political inclinations.  All that to say: I have no plans to tell you how to vote.  I probably err on the side of not saying enough about political things.  As we tip-toe through this minefield in conversations with our church family members and in our Sunday gatherings, I have one main fear: voting will become separated from our faith and our relationship with God.  It will be something we do as an American, but not as a Christian.

When you go to the polls tomorrow, you will be carrying out a very spiritual activity - something just as spiritual as going to worship yesterday.  Deciding how to vote is a hugely spiritual process.  It is an expression of your values, your understanding of God, and how you read the Bible.  It is the result of prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Regardless of which party you lean toward and which candidates you vote for, going to the polls is a profoundly spiritual experience.  As a church of all kinds of people, we will vote in all kinds of ways.  However, as your pastor, it is my prayer that each of us will engage in election day as a child of God, led by his Spirit.